State of Engagement 2026 Report |
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There are many social events for employees to attend such as the FIL annual dinner dance and the RIAS Christmas parties. They also see the importance of team building and hold events more than five times a year. For example, Fortis UK held a senior management conference at the end of February. Over eighty managers from all the UK businesses attended the two day event. Under the banner "Together we're stronger", the managers were put into cross business groups who attended a series of business specific presentations and insurance market presentations. There were also workshop sessions designed to generate ideas, build teamwork and develop networking opportunities.
There are many social events for employees to attend such as the FIL annual dinner dance and the RIAS Christmas parties. They also see the importance of team building and hold events more than five times a year. For example, Fortis UK held a senior management conference at the end of February. Over eighty managers from all the UK businesses attended the two day event. Under the banner "Together we're stronger", the managers were put into cross business groups who attended a series of business specific presentations and insurance market presentations. There were also workshop sessions designed to generate ideas, build teamwork and develop networking opportunities.
Managers are supported by a variety of resources which are available on intranets and other electronic media and wide range of internal courses. They are able to receive support towards external management qualifications such as MBAs, CII/CIB and ILM qualifications. To further their development managers also have the opportunity to be considered for roles outside of the UK.
Their employee assistance programme provides practical information on issues such as quitting smoking, healthy eating and mental health issues. The programme allows employees to speak to a professional counsellor on matters affecting their emotional well-being including relationships, bereavement, stress and anxiety. Managers are trained on how to manage stress in the workplace through their internal development sessions. Subsidised or free gym membership is available for employees depending on their location.
Wynnwith hold a number of internal development sessions for managers covering employment law, attracting talent, managing performance, managing difficult people situations and absence management. These have a practical theme with real life scenarios so the manager can apply what they have learnt to the workplace. They hold development sessions which provide an opportunity for managers to network with other managers in different areas of the business. Guides are available on the intranet for managers on how to complete management activities such as recruitment.
The CEO is incredibly approachable and welcomes comments and feedback from all levels of staff. He interacts with employees and takes part in team events. All of the directors have an open door policy and employees of all levels are welcome to approach them. They all walk the office floor and interact with employees on a daily basis. The CEO holds regular 'Have Your Say' sessions where employees have the opportunity to get their questions answered. At their company conference in April 09, the employees were able to ask the board of directors any questions and they provided immediate answers.
The company works closely with employees to monitor work levels and are very conscious of supporting staff when they have demands at home. For example they provide flexibility if an employee needs to support a family member. The firm's culture promotes a strong ethos of ensuring staff are supported through all stages of their lives. They hold a Summer BBQ each year where all staff and their families are invited. Due to the economic climate this year the Partners cooked the BBQ themselves. To promote healthy eating they provide subsidised healthy food in the staff kitchen and free fruit to all staff.
An annual memo is sent individually to each staff member detailing their salary and benefits package. Through the appraisal process Wollaston's identify opportunities for development and where a member of staff has performed well they are given the opportunity to increase their responsibility. Where teams or individuals work additional hours on specific projects they may be given extra time off above their holiday entitlement. Employees are rewarded for their efforts with a Christmas bonus and bottles of wine. Team and individual successes are highlighted on the intranet and the senior partner emails employees to highlight and congratulate them on their achievements.
As staff progress they are given the opportunity to take on more management responsibility where appropriate with support from their head of department and HR. They are encouraged to assist in making departmental decisions and supervise less experienced staff and conduct their appraisals. Wollaston's do not have a formal mentoring scheme however new joiners are assigned a buddy and less experienced staff will sit next to more experienced staff to support them and develop their knowledge.
Various topics related to wellbeing can be found on the intranet. They have assisted smokers with a 6 stage programme designed to support quitting and have a relaxation CD library where employees can loan CD's on stress relief and sleep. 'Positive Improvements through positive attitude' workshops have been arranged and they have also set up one-on-one stress management consultations where required. Their sabbatical policy enables staff to take a break of 2 weeks to 3 months on partial salary over and above their annual leave entitlement.
All employees are recruited locally and local suppliers are used wherever possible and practical. As well as having an environmental policy, championed by a director, they created The WEXAS Travel Foundation, through which staff and customers are brought together to make a real difference to communities around the world. They have progressively reduced the amount of paper and marketing materials used by the company through greater thought on who needs what. All literature is printed on a wood free matt which is recyclable and environmentally friendly. Staff are encouraged to nominate a charity which will benefit from the donations from monthly dress down Fridays and other fundraising activities.
Various topics related to wellbeing can be found on the intranet. They have assisted smokers with a 6 stage programme designed to support quitting and have a relaxation CD library where employees can loan CD's on stress relief and sleep. 'Positive Improvements through positive attitude' workshops have been arranged and they have also set up one-on-one stress management consultations where required. Their sabbatical policy enables staff to take a break of 2 weeks to 3 months on partial salary over and above their annual leave entitlement.
Unum have a comprehensive salary management policy to regulate how individual salaries are determined and managed on a consistent and equitable basis. They also have a comprehensive reward and recognition framework in place and they monitor the effectiveness of these policies and practices via specific questions in their annual employee opinion survey. They reward and celebrate achievements and exceptional work in a number of ways including quarterly and annual awards, thank you events, where top performers are recognised, and loyalty awards.
Employees have access to wide range of material to help them achieve a healthy and active work/life balance. They have an employee assistance programme which assists employees with matters including help to quit smoking. Unum also hold health and wellbeing fairs that are attended by external providers and practioners and offer advice on a range of topics such as eating healthy, stress, mental health issues and exercise.
Unum have a comprehensive salary management policy to regulate how individual salaries are determined and managed on a consistent and equitable basis. They also have a comprehensive reward and recognition framework in place and they monitor the effectiveness of these policies and practices via specific questions in their annual employee opinion survey. They reward and celebrate achievements and exceptional work in a number of ways including quarterly and annual awards, thank you events, where top performers are recognised, and loyalty awards.
Employees take part in a range of training activities including Health and Safety, group workshops to understand others behaviour and IT system training. The organisation supports employees undertaking relevant professional qualifications by providing funding for exams and materials. Staff are also able to take study days when needed to allow them to complete coursework and take exams. Employees are encouraged to share knowledge with the rest of the company in team meetings.
The Private Health Partnership offer employees a range of benefits including an employee assistance programme, a serious illness advisory service and free private health care. To promote a healthier lifestyle employees benefit from free gym memberships. PHP also recognises that employees have a life outside of work and as such actively encourage a balance between work and home life, making every effort to accommodate requests from staff when they need time-off or to work more flexible hours. Employees are often able to invite family and friends to a number of social events.
Employees take part in a range of training activities including Health and Safety, group workshops to understand others behaviour and IT system training. The organisation supports employees undertaking relevant professional qualifications by providing funding for exams and materials. Staff are also able to take study days when needed to allow them to complete coursework and take exams. Employees are encouraged to share knowledge with the rest of the company in team meetings.
Managers have been provided with a Hiring Tool Kit to aid in recruitment. Tool kits are also in place for coaching, mentoring and development, as well as in completing appraisal forms for their staff. Internal coaching courses are available from Skillsoft, via Scotiabank in London's online training catalogue. Additional, classroom style courses are organised by an external provider called the Mind Gym. People managers are directly assessed in their Performance Appraisals, by their supervisors but also their internal clients, on “People” criteria that focuses on employee satisfaction, development and engagement. Employees have to demonstrate partnership behaviours such as “working together with colleagues in the spirit of mutual cooperation and responsibility in order to achieve business goals”. A minimum average grade of “Meets Expectations” is required, or an action plan is put into place to address and improve the issue.
Total Reward Statements are available to all staff electronically, via the Bank's "Scotia-Kit" online portal. Their TRS are constantly updated to reflect any benefit elections, such as the firms Denplan cover or other benefits such as Childcare Vouchers. Furthermore, employees have the option to instantaneously access an online valuation of their pension pot, so as to gauge the performance of any individual fund. Going forward, the Bank will also be introducing an online portal to aid employees to instantaneously manage their company shares, via the Bank's Share Incentive Plan (SIP). Reward and recognition are important motivational tools to ensure that employees feel that they are rewarded for their efforts, incentive payments are awarded to employees proportionally to their performance level and employees who perform well and who want to develop are also supported, ensuring their performance appraisal reflects their efforts and that there is scope for development and progression.
Total Reward Statements are available to all staff electronically, via the Bank's "Scotia-Kit" online portal. Their TRS are constantly updated to reflect any benefit elections, such as the firms Denplan cover or other benefits such as Childcare Vouchers. Furthermore, employees have the option to instantaneously access an online valuation of their pension pot, so as to gauge the performance of any individual fund. Going forward, the Bank will also be introducing an online portal to aid employees to instantaneously manage their company shares, via the Bank's Share Incentive Plan (SIP). Reward and recognition are important motivational tools to ensure that employees feel that they are rewarded for their efforts, incentive payments are awarded to employees proportionally to their performance level and employees who perform well and who want to develop are also supported, ensuring their performance appraisal reflects their efforts and that there is scope for development and progression.
The Leadership Investment for Text 100 is a global initiative aimed at the leadership development of their SAM, AD and SAD teams on a regional and global scale. Each region hosts regular teleconferences with this group to exchange best practices and discuss case studies around consulting and management activities.
Their in-house training programme, Text Life is open to all Text 100 staff. Local Text Life Ambassadors in each of the global offices are accountable for developing a training calendar tailored to the local office needs, tapping into the company's library of courses, white papers and external presenters.
Their in-house training programme, Text Life is open to all Text 100 staff. Local Text Life Ambassadors in each of the global offices are accountable for developing a training calendar tailored to the local office needs, tapping into the company's library of courses, white papers and external presenters.
O2 have a strong focus on 'Teams'. They have Conferences which always have an entertaining and fun aspect to them, whether it's surfing and adventure, treasure hunts, creating iPhone applications or partying at the O2, they tailor the celebration to the team so it's a unique and personal event. On a more local level, individual teams hold dinners and team building activities to encourage team bonding. They have great camaraderie at O2. Across their sites you'll find teams celebrating things like Halloween, Children in Need, World Cup Football, Easter where they dress up, decorate the office, raise money for charity (matched by O2).
In September O2 launched their new recognition scheme, Fanclub. Based on Facebook, people registering for Fanclub can upload their personal profile, add a photo and search the database to find people across O2 they would like to recognise for their achievements. It's a quick, easy and instant way to say ‘thanks for a job well done' and to make people's contributions feel valued. Anyone can nominate their peers, managers, individuals or teams for the contributions they've made to delivering against one of O2's six business priorities, known as the Customer Promise. All O2's directorates have a number of tickets allocated for recognition at The O2 Arena and other O2 Academies across the country, enabling their employees to be rewarded by seeing top artists perform at these locations. O2 have a bonus structure where their people are rewarded for their efforts based on their performance. The bonus is linked to how they have performed throughout the year and is assessed following their Annual Performance Review at the end of the year.
O2 people are encouraged to Give Something Back by pursuing charitable causes and playing an active role in their community. They encourage them to apply for awards or refer friends and family under the It's Your Community programme which gives grants of up to £1000 to community projects throughout the UK. O2 also actively encourage volunteering and fundraising. For example the Telefónica Proniño programme gives staff a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with underprivileged children in South America for a month. O2 UK recycle materials used in their offices and retail establishments. They also recycle the electronic waste which they receive from their customers (handsets, routers, laptops etc) and their network equipment. Telefónica O2 UK recognise the need to get their house in order. They have a responsibility for the planet and believe that sound management of their environmental impact is critical to their future. By doing the right things they can also stand out from the crowd, gain trust, save money and invest in things their customers most value.
They have rolled out a comprehensive management development programme tailored for all management levels. The HR team support managers in many of the people management tasks that they need to complete such as sickness and disciplinary and provide one to one coaching to guide managers through the stages of each process. The Directors work with an external coach both individually and as a team. An external consultant holds training sessions with managers and coaching and mentoring is available dependant on individuals needs.
They have rolled out a comprehensive management development programme tailored for all management levels. The HR team support managers in many of the people management tasks that they need to complete such as sickness and disciplinary and provide one to one coaching to guide managers through the stages of each process. The Directors work with an external coach both individually and as a team. An external consultant holds training sessions with managers and coaching and mentoring is available dependant on individuals needs.
Directors and senior managers ensure employees are acknowledged for good work and the CEO will send a personal thank you letter to them. Performance is recognised through the Shining Stars scheme where an award is made once a quarter. The award is judged by a panel of employees. Annual appraisals are held and employees receive increments in addition to an annual pay award if they meet set standards. Attendance is rewarded for no absence over 12 months. A benefits booklet for staff is produced which outlines what is available and provides information about how to access the benefits. This information is included on the intranet and they hold focus groups with employees to discuss benefits to ensure the benefits suit their needs.
Skandia have a range of courses for all levels of management and where required support managers with internal mentors. An online 360 tool to assist managers has been developed along with an internally managed feedback mechanism. They retain many external suppliers to deliver life and business coaching to middle and senior managers and provide support in obtaining internal and external professional qualifications in association with external business schools. Managers are encouraged to attend seminars and professional forums to maintain professional knowledge and meet CPD requirements. Voluntary networking groups have been introduced for the different management levels bringing together the various business departments.
A flexible benefits package is on offer which includes free private health care, critical illness / personal insurance and a wellness program. They have enhanced their offerings to employees with more therapist sessions being made available onsite. Online resources are available both at work and at home where employees can access the latest health and wellbeing news as well as taking health assessments. Skandia also provides an optional onsite annual flu vaccination programme and work with an agency to provide balanced menus and raise awareness on healthy eating through road shows and leaflets. This year, as part of a financial awareness programme, employees were given access to pension financial advice to help them understand more about their pension.
Skandia have a range of courses for all levels of management and where required support managers with internal mentors. An online 360 tool to assist managers has been developed along with an internally managed feedback mechanism. They retain many external suppliers to deliver life and business coaching to middle and senior managers and provide support in obtaining internal and external professional qualifications in association with external business schools. Managers are encouraged to attend seminars and professional forums to maintain professional knowledge and meet CPD requirements. Voluntary networking groups have been introduced for the different management levels bringing together the various business departments.
They offer employees discounted gym membership and also provide a £20 wellbeing supplement to those with gym memberships. Free private health care is available to all employees and through this they can gain access to help and advice on quitting smoking and eating healthily. Seatwave has implemented a personal day policy which allows employees to take up to 5 days additional leave per annum at their request. Days can be used for things such as additional holiday, to spend the day in bed or take the kids to the park.
Seatwave annually conduct an external compensation survey to ensure salaries and benefits are in line with the market. In reward for employee's efforts, performance related stock option grants are available and quarterly performance reviews are carried out. They have a ‘spot' bonus program to celebrate extraordinary efforts and hold quarterly initiatives with awards for team winners.
They offer employees discounted gym membership and also provide a £20 wellbeing supplement to those with gym memberships. Free private health care is available to all employees and through this they can gain access to help and advice on quitting smoking and eating healthily. Seatwave has implemented a personal day policy which allows employees to take up to 5 days additional leave per annum at their request. Days can be used for things such as additional holiday, to spend the day in bed or take the kids to the park.
Ribby Hall encourages management development by providing management training courses which are company funded and by giving all managers 360 feedback. Following internal coaching and workshops managers are mentored, this includes performance reviews and the recruitment process.
This organisation encourages employees to take part in sporting social events to keep fit, individual requests from employees for extra time out of work on top of holiday days are reviewed by managers and accepted where possible. All employees are all encouraged to plan their holidays to ensure that they use their full quota each year.
To promote interaction within teams there is a range of social sporting events held such as tennis, bowls and canoeing along with non sporting events for example ‘Ribby's Got Talent' this recent event was designed to increase communication and teamwork across the departments.
Record have four onsite pushbikes which employees are free to use, they also give discount on certain gyms near the office and provide free fruit around the office for all employees. By having flexible working hours, employees can fit a medical appointment early in the morning or later afternoon without having to take the time off. With the flexible hour's system, if an employee works overtime or at a weekend they can take the time back by taking the time off during the week. They hold one event a year (summer/christmas party) where staff can invite their partners. They also invite all staff children in for Christmas Eve morning to have a kid's party with them. They have a clocking in and out system where employees clock in and out at the beginning and end of the day and at lunchtime. They allow one flexi day, built up from working overtime per month in addition to annual leave. There is also lots of flexibility for the start and end times of the day. As long as staff work their core hours during the day/week they may start any time before 10am and finish any time after 3.30pm.
Once a month they wear jeans to work and a donation is made to an employee nominated charity, which can be charities that their employees have a personal involvement with. The organisation use a company called Carbon Neutral to offset their carbon usage. They have paper and cardboard recycling with Shred-it who replant how ever many trees worth of paper they recycle. They have a company allotment, where employees can grow vegetables. They believe that all of the areas described above make them a sustainable company. They have frequently supported Heathrow Special Needs Farm and worked with them for 2 years in their local community which is part of the Business in the Community (BITC) Group.
In all of their company meetings the Executives and senior management invite questions throughout, so as to ensure employees are fully aware of everything happening within the company. All employers and leaders are in an open plan office. All leaders are approachable and welcome any interaction. They have employee dinners with update presentations; they also have various adhoc presentations, and team meetings and lunches where senior management attend. As they have an open door policy, if anyone has anything they would like to discuss with him they may and he regularly encourages dialogue with all of their staff. He regularly interacts with all staff, socially and at work. They often attend many of the "fun" functions they hold.
The organisation has summer hog roasts including a 5-a-side football competition. Social gatherings after team meetings are also organised. Executive briefings are held followed by social events. The Tech Support team will have lunchtime celebration in the office for good customer survey results. The Finance team organise a treasure hunt as a team building exercise. The HR team has gone through personality profiling as a team building exercise. The Presales team has had an off-roading quad bike experience.
Manager's guides are issued wherever possible for new online absence management tools. Pay and support for external management qualifications are available under the Education Assistance programme. Internal management development training is available. Internal coaching and mentoring is also available for employees on an adhoc basis. All the senior management team have an open door policy and will help and guide their management team wherever possible. External coaching and mentoring can be arranged through a preferred supplier where necessary and is available during the Leadership academy. Lunch & Learn sessions with HR are conducted, these sessions are run by the HR team and are open to all managers, covering requested topics such as the disciplinary process. Regular mentoring is given from the HR team on subjects such as performance improvement plans, disciplinary, salary increases and job development.
The organisation offer the flexibility to accommodate personal and medical appointments and time off with pay is granted for doctor, hospital and dental appointments. They do not pay overtime but do grant lieu days to staff who work longer hours at key business times. Family members are invited to social summer hog roast events where there is a bouncy castle and games provided for children. They offer a home working policy and are as flexible as possible about working hours on an informal basis for example employees can start early and finish early as agreed with their managers if it fits with the needs of the business.
Protocol hold a range of company wide and independent events to allow employees to interact on a more informal level. An annual Christmas party for all employees takes place and independent branches run initiatives such as lunches and team nights out. Employees take part in team building events through the company conference. A recent event was held at the Emirates Stadium where the afternoon was dedicated to team building activities which were fun, challenging and thought provoking.
The company tries hard to provide a strong work/life balance for employees and will assess any application for reduced hours or flexible working patterns on an individual basis. Free life assurance and private health care is available to all employees. They also have an employee assistance programme which provides support to employees on a range of topics including stress management and mental health issues.
All Managers have regular meetings with their line managers to identify any development needs. They provide external training in a number of different business areas including coaching and leadership which are open to all managers who need support. Managers take part in an annual management development programme to ensure their skills are up to date. Regular management and operational meetings are held where managers can share knowledge and discuss objectives.
Managers are assisted with specialist learning that is relevant to Pret and have workbooks to cover every role. Approximately 70% of managers are from internal promotions and have followed Pret's training pathway from the start of their career. External mentoring is provided for senior managers and they are encouraged to attend conferences, meetings and Pret chat groups to assist with their progression. Managers also attend regular development meetings and focus groups.
Pret A Manger provides employees with competitive pay and bonuses are awarded to employees of all levels. Senior managers always take time to say ‘thank you' to employees for their efforts and use ‘wow cards' to instantly recognise hard work. The company also run a monthly competition where the top performing shop is awarded with funds to spend on an event of their choice. Career development opportunities are available to all employees and they celebrate promotions within the company with vouchers.
Pret A Manger provides employees with competitive pay and bonuses are awarded to employees of all levels. Senior managers always take time to say ‘thank you' to employees for their efforts and use ‘wow cards' to instantly recognise hard work. The company also run a monthly competition where the top performing shop is awarded with funds to spend on an event of their choice. Career development opportunities are available to all employees and they celebrate promotions within the company with vouchers.
Regular fun and social events are organised to encourage employees and teams to interact. They hold an annual summer party, Christmas parties and regional sports days. They run various campaigns on topics such as global awareness where the team who have the most impact on energy use over a year is rewarded with a trip to Kenya. Team bonuses are also awarded for various challenges and targets. Regular team building events take place at least 3 times a year ranging from leadership and coaching courses, to road shows with food tasting and live cooking shows.
Pizza Express consistently seek to ensure their employees feel rewarded and hold roundtable events to gain feedback on what employees would like. Restaurant support teams are rewarded through the ‘Restaurant Support Hero Awards' by the Managing Director at their monthly team brief. They also run an employee of the month scheme to recognise exceptional work from operations managers, managers and team members.
Pizza Express consistently seek to ensure their employees feel rewarded and hold roundtable events to gain feedback on what employees would like. Restaurant support teams are rewarded through the ‘Restaurant Support Hero Awards' by the Managing Director at their monthly team brief. They also run an employee of the month scheme to recognise exceptional work from operations managers, managers and team members.
Managers at Personnel & Care Bank are given the autonomy to manage their branches ensuring that their teams are included in decision making, gaining buy in at every level. They are supported with both external and internal coaching and training in Neuro Linguistic Programming via an external practitioner.
Managers at Personnel & Care Bank are given the autonomy to manage their branches ensuring that their teams are included in decision making, gaining buy in at every level. They are supported with both external and internal coaching and training in Neuro Linguistic Programming via an external practitioner.
All employees receive development in the form of training days, workshops, 121 sessions, mentoring, shadowing, coaching and professional qualifications. Annual appraisals are held with each employee to discuss strengths, development areas and aspirations for the future. The details are linked in with the company strategy and regularly assessed to ensure all employees are working in a role that maximises their talent.
They have a number of initiatives across Orange designed to reward and engage their employees. These include an employer subsidised/paid DC pension scheme, share purchase incentive plan and Orange healthcare. The Orange bonus gives their employees the chance to share in the company's success and makes them feel valued. The discretionary plan is in place for all Orange UK employees except for their sales people and frontline service teams who are on separate bonus or commission plans that fit with their specialist service and sales roles. For example, sales advisors in Orange shops can qualify for pay monthly sales awards and business sales roles are typically rewarded through commission and incentives.
Orange run an employee recognition scheme called Brilliant to recognise people that go above and beyond. Anyone who works for the company can nominate someone else for a Brilliant award on their intranet. The panel meets to review all nominations and they award up to twenty people a month. Winners get a day's holiday and a Brilliant star paperweight. The Sales and Loyalty directorate launched its own scheme this year, Sales Legends. Every month, the top 50 performers across all sales channels are listed in the online league table and the top Sales Legends every six months are invited to a superb gala event with their partners. In July this year, the event took place at BAFTA House. Employees are also recognised via the Orange Community, where there are certificates for fundraisers, a profile on the volunteer wall with photos and reports for all volunteers and Orange News coverage on volunteering and fundraising activity.
Orange run an employee recognition scheme called Brilliant to recognise people that go above and beyond. Anyone who works for the company can nominate someone else for a Brilliant award on their intranet. The panel meets to review all nominations and they award up to twenty people a month. Winners get a day's holiday and a Brilliant star paperweight. The Sales and Loyalty directorate launched its own scheme this year, Sales Legends. Every month, the top 50 performers across all sales channels are listed in the online league table and the top Sales Legends every six months are invited to a superb gala event with their partners. In July this year, the event took place at BAFTA House. Employees are also recognised via the Orange Community, where there are certificates for fundraisers, a profile on the volunteer wall with photos and reports for all volunteers and Orange News coverage on volunteering and fundraising activity.
NHS West Essex provides detailed management toolkits for each of their people managers to give them support in their day to day role. Further support is offered through the provision of internal and external training if ever the need is identified whilst managers occasionally get together for away days where they can meet up and share knowledge and experience.
As well as working closely together as a team during work there are numerous opportunities for people to get together in a less formal setting away from the workplace. These activities can include bowling, ice skating, quizzes or parties and all are an excellent opportunity to bring people closer together and get to know each other better.
NHS West Essex provides detailed management toolkits for each of their people managers to give them support in their day to day role. Further support is offered through the provision of internal and external training if ever the need is identified whilst managers occasionally get together for away days where they can meet up and share knowledge and experience.
People managers in the organisation are given a great deal of support. They hold Line Manager Workshops which are led by the HR Suffolk Leadership Academy with the aim of developing the future and current leaders. Training is given to line managers on HR issues such as absence management, capability and grievances. There is also support and pay should managers wish to take external qualifications such as the ILM. Support opportunities are also given through team meetings.
Formal team building is held a couple of times a year to encourage employees to build strong relationships and have fun outside of the office environment. For example, they held an organisation away day last year with the theme of ‘Old World – New World'. Every member of staff was invited to attend and arrangements were put in place to provide adequate cover for the office to remain open to enquiries. At this event they explored, with full participation of all present, the behaviours that they wanted to see within the organisation. In addition members of staff participated in presentations which looked at how they work and ways of working more efficiently. One theme that resonated with lots of staff was the ‘time thief' who stops to ask you a quick question that then turns into a detailed conversation or the other time thief who leaves everything to the last minute and then expects others to be able to meet their own timeline.
NHS Suffolk ensure that employees feel rewarded for their efforts through team away days and the Chief Executive runs a cake event to celebrate the organisations success. In addition announcements and acknowledgements are made at the monthly staff briefings to those employees who have excelled in their day to day role. A range of personal development initiatives are in place such as access to a mentor and an external network with other public sector organisations and peer support networks particularly for middle and senior managers.
The National School of Government helps to support staff with all training such as tool kits and other resources. They also have access to a wide variety of resources across the Civil Service. A programme is being organised for professional coaches and mentors to be available for the staff.
Being a small organisation everybody knows one another and the staff are very caring toward each other. Once the gym was set up several staff were embarrassed to join but with peer support and encouragement many of the staff enjoy their new found exercise regimes and say it helps in many ways. The gym is open all day and there are no restrictions when it can be used. They provide bicycles for people to use to cycle to work or to go on rides around the local area.
The National School of Government helps to support staff with all training such as tool kits and other resources. They also have access to a wide variety of resources across the Civil Service. A programme is being organised for professional coaches and mentors to be available for the staff.
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